This contemporary military romance links the taciturn Beckett Murda with his team leader’s sister—the beautiful and intelligent Kat Rixey. I really enjoyed their love story. Two people who’ve seen a lot of pain and personal loss finally find happiness. *swoon*

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About HARD TO LET GO:
Beckett Murda hates to dwell on the past. But his investigation into the ambush that killed half his Special Forces team and ended his Army career gives him little choice. Just when his team learns how powerful their enemies are, hard-ass Beckett encounters his biggest complication yet—a seductive, feisty Katherine Rixey.

A tough, stubborn prosecutor, Kat visits her brothers’ Hard Ink Tattoo shop following a bad break-up—and finds herself staring down the barrel of a stranger’s gun. Beckett is hard-bodied and sexy as hell, but he’s also the most infuriating man ever. Worse, Kat’s brothers are at war with the criminals her office is investigating. When Kat joins the fight, she lands straight in Beckett’s sights . . . and in his arms. Not to mention their enemies’ crosshairs.

Now Beckett and Kat must set aside their differences to work together, because the only thing sweeter than justice is finding love and never letting go.

How about a little taste?

Beckett was a wrung-out mess. He’d just spent the past hour talking to Emilie, and it was maybe more than he’d talked at one time in his whole life. He couldn’t exactly say he felt good, and maybe not even better, but he could say that he was a little proud of himself for facing his past. Didn’t matter that dealing with that shit was as comfortable as swallowing crushed glass, because choking it down was the only way he’d have a chance at a future.

At least, a future that he really, truly wanted.

One where he wasn’t alone. One where he wasn’t angry. One where he wasn’t wasting the time he might have left on this earth—time his seven fallen teammates no longer had.

Jogging down the stairs from the third-floor apartment, Beckett headed to the gym. No matter how trashed he felt, he had one more conversation that absolutely had to happen tonight.

With Nick. About Kat.

Beckett had seen the all-knowing looks on Marz’s and Jeremy’s faces when he and Kat joined the all-hands’ meeting earlier in the evening. If he didn’t go to Nick soon, the guy was going to learn about them some other way. And then the hell was going to be even worse to pay. And Beckett didn’t want that to happen. Not just because he didn’t want the hassle. But because he owed it to Nick—as his friend and his brother—to come clean.

Didn’t mean that his gut wasn’t all twisted up about whether Nick would think him good enough for his baby sister, though.

He reached the gym door, took a deep breath, and punched in the pass code. Man up, Murda. Right.

Inside, things were hopping, despite the fact that it was pushing eleven o’clock. Some Ravens were lifting weights. Others were shooting the shit around the table. And two guys were tossing a ball back and forth, driving Eileen crazy by bouncing it over her head. Easy was pounding out a fast pace on the treadmill. And, in the back corner, Nick, Marz, and Shane were poring over something on Marz’s desk.

Beckett had faced down terrorists who wanted nothing more than to take his life with their very hands, and he’d probably never been as nervous as he was right now. For fuck’s sake.

He moved into the room. About midway across he spied Cy peeking out from behind a weight machine. “You and me are gonna have a talk soon, too,” he said, pointing at the cat. A one-eyed blink was his only answer.

And then he was standing on the far side of Marz’s desk next to Shane, peering down at what the three men were examining.

Marz gave him a smile and tapped his finger against the pages. “Just going over all these instances when Merritt noted Kaine as having changed orders regarding counternarcotics missions.”

“Marz was right,” Nick said, looking up at him. “Some of these gave me a bad feeling in my gut at the time, because they seemed out of character for Merritt. He was never a last minute kinda guy. Every damn time he’s marked those changes as having been ordered by Kaine.”

Beckett nodded. And then his mouth acted without his brain’s permission. “I’d like to date your sister.”

My Review:
This is the final book in the Hard Ink series and should be read in order.

Becket Murda is one of five survivors of an ambush of his SF squadron a year ago. Since then he’s been guilt-ridden, and less-than-honorably discharged, drifting between security gigs. Three weeks ago he was called into action by his former squad leader, Nick Rixey, to help them track down the missing children of their dead former commander, Merritt, and help solve a serious mystery regarding their ambush, missing heroin, and $12 million in Merritt’s bank accounts. This is the backdrop of the series. Each of the other men in his squad found a special person to love during this timeframe, all with sexy books detailing their romances, and this book is Beckett’s ungrateful backslide into love…. 😉

Beckett has a lot of issues with self-esteem, basically because his mother drank herself to death, and his murderously-abusive father beat him regularly as a child. He stands as an outsider, never believing that he is worthy of love. Yet, Kat Rixey, the Justice Dept attorney and younger sister of his friend and comrade Nick, won’t put up with his crap. She challenges him regularly, and he relishes the connection, even as he doesn’t believe himself worthy.

Kat Rixey is a tenacious woman who is just extricating herself from a sticky relationship with a stalkery colleague. She had no idea what she was stepping into when she fled to her brothers’ compound, a now bombed warehouse that holds Jeremy’s tattoo studio and Nick’s colleagues and more than a few collateral strays. Learning that Nick’s mission is centered around a security company now under Justice Dept investigation leads Kat to make some ethically-questionable, but morally-sound, decisions.

In the midst of the unravelling of the larger “restore our honor” plot arc, Kat and Beckett find their tinderbox chemistry provides some smoking sexytimes, and brings out new vulnerabilities. They are a sweet couple who face some incredibly high challenges. As with all the previous books in the series, expect high octane situations, shoot outs, injuries, double-crosses and, finally, a resolution for these injured heroes that will have readers more than satisfied. The HEA is excellent, for all our Hard ink pals, even when it looks to be bleak. Beckett proves time and again why he is a survivor, and, enjoyably, finds something and someone to live for.

Praise for HARD TO LET GO:
“Kaye wraps up her bestselling series with this action-packed story, highlighting her talent for alpha military heroes, hot romance, and an ensemble cast of characters who are unique and engaging. A super sexy, high-octane romantic suspense novel that concludes the popular Hard Ink series in a completely satisfying way.” ~Kirkus Reviews

“TOP PICK! Kaye brings her Hard Ink series to a spectacular conclusion that successfully wraps up the overarching mystery and brings closure to her compelling characters. Kaye really nails it with this awesome book and series!” ~RT Book Reviews

“HARD TO LET GO will blow you away! Anyone who has been following Laura Kaye’s fantastic Hard Ink series will expect something great for the last book in the series, and to say HARD TO LET GO does not disappoint would be the understatement of the year! Ms. Kaye writes sex scenes like it’s nobody’s business, and the blistering chemistry between Kat and Becket will leave you panting and begging for more! If you expected world-class action in HARD TO LET GO, think again and multiply that by ten! HARD TO LET GO has to be the most explosive conclusion to a series ever! Do not miss it at any cost!” ~Fresh Fiction

Praise for the Hard Ink Series:
“TOP PICK! If you’re looking for danger, gritty action, and sizzling passion, then Kaye has just the book and the series for you.” ~RT Book Reviews Magazine

****GIVEAWAY****

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About Laura Kaye:
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Hi there! Today is the release of Laura Kaye’s newest offering in the Hard Ink series. HARD TO BE GOOD is the book fans have been waiting for…Jeremy Rixey is about to find love!

About the book:
Hard Ink Tattoo owner Jeremy Rixey has taken on his brother’s stateside fight against the forces that nearly killed Nick and his Special Forces team a year before. Now, Jeremy’s whole world has been turned upside down—not the least of which by a brilliant, quiet blond man who tempts Jeremy to settle down for the first time ever.

Recent kidnapping victim Charlie Merritt has always been better with computers than people, so when he’s drawn into the SF team’s investigation of his army colonel father’s corruption, he’s surprised to find acceptance and friendship—especially since his father never accepted who Charlie was. Even more surprising is the heated tension Charlie feels with sexy, tattooed Jeremy, Charlie’s opposite in almost every way.

With tragedy and chaos all around them, temptation flashes hot, and Jeremy and Charlie can’t help but wonder why they’re trying so hard to be good…

How about a little taste?

“You know,” Jeremy said with a smirk, “if you find yourself feeling the urge to kiss me, that’s good, too.”

Charlie gave a small laugh, all of his tension draining away. “I might be feeling that urge right now.”

Jeremy’s thumb stroked over the side of Charlie’s neck and his gaze narrowed. “Are you, now?”
Nodding, Charlie decided to put his tattoo into practice. He leaned in, flicked his tongue against Jeremy’s lip piercings, and kissed him. Threading his hands into Jeremy’s hair, he pushed his tongue deep in the other man’s mouth, tasting, exploring, stroking.

Jeremy gave as good as he got, and soon they were breathing hard, and clutching tight, and grinding against one another until Charlie had to gasp for air.

“Lay down with me?” Jeremy whispered.

“Yes,” Charlie said, letting Jeremy lead him to the big queen-sized bed. They stretched out on the soft flannel plaid comforter.

Jeremy pushed Charlie onto his back and climbed up over him. The other man’s weight felt phenomenal as it pressed him into the soft bedding. “I like the look of you here. In my bed,” Jeremy said.

“Yeah?” Heat filled Charlie’s cheeks at the comment, but only because he loved it so much.

Jeremy nodded. “Me on top of you—is that hurting your side?” Charlie had taken the bandage off at Jer’s instructions hours before, but the tattoo would take upwards of two weeks to heal, apparently.

“No,” Charlie said, quickly sliding his hands up to Jeremy’s back to encourage him to stay right where he was. Because Charlie would’ve endured just about anything to keep him there forever.

“Kiss me, Jeremy.”

“Gladly,” Jeremy said, sucking Charlie’s lower lip into his mouth. Slow, deep kisses quickly escalated to fast and frantic. Their bodies shifted and pressed. Their hands grasped and tugged. Their hard cocks rubbed together through their jeans until Charlie was suddenly sure of one thing.

“I don’t want to come like this,” he rasped, his brain scrambling to figure out exactly what he did want. And how to find the courage to voice it.

Charlie swallowed hard and his pulse raced even faster. Because his body, heart, and head were all in agreement, and he knew what he wanted—from Jeremy, with Jeremy.

Everything.

My Review:
This is a novella in the Hard Ink series that is best read as part of the series. This is the first gay romance in the series.

Jeremy Rixey is the owner of Hard Ink, a tattoo parlor, and base of operations for his brother Nick’s special ops team who are trying to clear their names following dishonorable discharge after an op in Afghanistan went really bad. The first three books in this series focus on the romances and intrigue of Nick and two of his fellow veterans. While falling in love, with unlikely women, they have spent a lot of time learning more about the guys who set them up–one who may have been their commanding officer, Colonel Merritt. In the previous stories they saved Merritt’s children Charlie and Becca from drug lords. Charlie is an out gay man, and had little contact with his dad–who disowned him years ago.

Now Charlie, a computer programmer, works the tech side of this covert investigation. He just recently learned that his dad wasn’t committing treason, but he suffered a lot in his captivity, including the loss of a two fingers. He’s attracted to Jeremy, who is bisexual, but doesn’t really feel worthy of love. Plus, he’s not sure that ultra cool Jeremy–who he idolizes–would love a computer geek.

These two have spent weeks living in the close quarters of the Hard Ink compound, and Jeremy has definitely been interested in Charlie, not that they’ve had a lot of downtime for romance. In fact, this book doesn’t have a lot of downtime for romance. It spans only a couple of days, and they are fraught with confrontations. And sex. There is a bit of tenderness, and we get to see Jeremy in action as a tattoo artist, as well as a lover. Charlie is, oddly, not as innocent as he seemed, and I wondered where all his experience came from–as he’s admitted to being very sheltered….

I liked the book, but I wished there had been a bit more buildup of the relationship. It all goes too fast, and I wondered if that was because it was expected that some of the Hard Ink readership isn’t keen on M/M romance, so the plan was to keep this installment quick and dirty, leaving the next book to pick up more of the intrigue with a het romance. I think JR Ward did well blending a gay romance into her BDB series, and I was looking for the same experience here from Laura Kaye. I was glad that free-spirited Jeremy and shy Charlie got their time to shine, I only wished for more. I hope this book does well enough that we continue to see these men in future Hard Ink books.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on the Rafflecopter link for your chance to win this huge gift pack!a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About Laura Kaye:
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.